- As of 1st December 2016, Mr. Veli Polat leads the passenger airlines of Lufthansa Group in China - The Lufthansa Group will further strengthen its presence in the China market

SHANGHAI, Dec 1, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - Mr. Veli Polat, 48, has been appointed Senior Director Sales Greater China Lufthansa Group Airlines. As such, he will be responsible for Passenger Sales and Marketing of Lufthansa German Airlines, Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines in the Greater China region including Hong Kong and Taiwan. Furthermore, Mr. Polat takes care of Lufthansa Group's sales interests in the Air China joint venture.

Mr. Polat - who formerly held the function of Regional Director South Asia and Middle East of Lufthansa Cargo, based in New Delhi - succeeds Mr. Juerg Christen, who has been appointed Head of Sales Switzerland of Lufthansa Group Airlines.

After graduation as an electrical engineer, Veli Polat has been with the airline industry for more than 20 years, mainly cargo. He gained a lot of working experience in Asia, Europe and the Americas and has a profound understanding of both eastern and western culture.

"I'm very pleased to announce Veli Polat as the new head for the Greater China region, the world's most dynamic aviation market", introduced Mr. Dieter Vranckx, Vice President Sales for Lufthansa Group in Asia Pacific. "To keep our leading position in China, we don't only bring the best products and services here, but also hire the best talents. Polat's appointment also shows that there are excellent career opportunities for our people to move within the Lufthansa Group."

"Thank you for the recognition and trust of our management board, I am very happy to take the new challenge and move to China, the world's second largest aviation market and - together with my team - continue the successful story of Lufthansa Group here", said Veli Polat.

On the occasion of the introduction of the new China head, Mr. Vranckx also stressed the importance of the China market and the company's future strategy. "Lufthansa Group has been in the China market for 90 years. In 2017, in our overall strategy, we will be focusing on the additional travel options through the joint venture with Air China and the digital purchase and travel experience for our customers. This will bring more personalized services and products as well as more booking and travel convenience to our Chinese passengers."

Lufthansa Group is the leading European Airline Group in China and partner of the national carrier Air China. It has a long standing tradition in this market and is active in all major business segments of the industry in China. Together with Chinese partners Lufthansa Group is engaged in various successful joint-ventures, such as Ameco Beijing, Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen Co. Ltd in the MRO sector, Lufthansa Sky Chefs branches in many Chinese cities and PACTL in cargo sector. Lufthansa was the first European Airline to introduce the A380 in the Chinese market. With the signing of the commercial Joint Venture on September 20, 2016, Lufthansa Group and Air China plan to cooperate more closely in the future. The significantly enhanced partnership will enable both sides to create additional network benefits for customers.